This invention relates to package or container handling and more particularly to a method and apparatus for separating the individual containers from a palletized or generally rectangular array of containers.
Containers of a generally rectangular shape are frequently stacked on pallets to facilitate easy transportation and movement by a fork-lift truck or the like for shipping, storage and other purposes. The palletized stack of containers typically consists of a number of vertical layers of containers and the containers of each layer are arranged in a predetermined array. The predetermined array of each layer includes containers arranged with both transverse and longitudinal orientations to form the generally rectangular shape which is usually almost square. The transverse and longitudinal orientations of each array provide the beneficial aspect of causing some of the containers in one array or level in the stack to be perpendicular to the containers of the levels above and below it in the stack which helps give the stack strength and rigidity, prevents individual containers from falling out of the stack and facilitates keeping of the stack intact during shipment and movement.
Objectives of the present invention relate to depalletizing or separating the individual containers in an array, arranging the containers for convenient use in rapid processing situations, arranging the containers of the array in a single line in single file order, rapidly separating the containers while avoiding jam-ups or the like, and accomplishing the separation under conditions of high operating speeds whereby successive numbers of arrays in a stack may be separated.
The present invention which accomplishes these and other objectives may be summarized as a method and apparatus involving advancing of the containers of the array, turning certain of the containers to effect a common orientation of all the containers and combining and converging the commonly oriented containers, which may be in a plurality of lines or paths of movement, into a single line in single file order.
A more complete understanding of the invention and other objectives and advantages may be obtained from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention and from the brief description of the drawings.